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Fri March 29 2024

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Plumber brings the house down

10 Aug 15 An explosion that caused the partial collapse of a house in the Lancashire town of Haslingden was caused by faulty plumbing, a court heard last week.

Burnley Magistrates’ Court heard how, in May 2014, self-employed plumber Lee Barrett failed to put in place the appropriate safety devices when removing a water tank for a loft conversion. He had effectively created a closed water system combined with an old immersion heater, which allowed water to heat to 100oC in a copper cylinder.

Catastrophic damage was caused to the property when the cylinder ruptured and the stored water suddenly became steam. The property had to be significantly demolished and rebuilt.

The plumber was fined £500 with costs of £933 after pleading guilty to Section 3(2) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974.

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